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Despite hopes that a more controlled Undie 500 'charity drive' rally would be calmer than previous years, the rally's arrival has been followed by not one, but two nights of drunken disorder.
SATURDAY NIGHT News outlets are reporting that police faced off with about 600 people on Castle Street and used pepper spray in an attempt to disperse the crowds.
The crowd advanced on officers, "challenging the police line", after police officers tried to grab a man, Inspector Dave Campbell told the New Zealand Herald.
"Many students were pepper sprayed and officers had to call for more supplies as some had emptied their canisters on those students," Mr Campbell said.
One police officer told Newstalk ZB the police used so much pepper spray that they ran out, and had to call for more.
It is being reported that police arrested between 50 and 60 people on the Saturday night.
FRIDAY NIGHT Disorder on Castle St broke out earlier than ever, with a major clash between students and police on Friday night (traditionally, the major disorder has occured on the Saturday night). TV3 reported that "About 20 were arrested after more than 600 people pelted officers with bottles, bricks and bicycle parts in the student stronghold of North Dunedin." It is unclear at this stage how many of those arrested were students.
The Otago Daily Times reported that around 40 police in protective gear formed a line outside Gardies at about 12.30am. "Officers stood calmly as they were pelted with ... bottles and after about 15 minutes the crowd dispersed to [a] fire set further back on Castle St."
At that stage Inspector Alistair Dickie, the officer in charge of the operation, told the ODT that police were relatively pleased with the way things were going. "We are happy we have been able to stabilise the crowd without exerting our authority too much."
Saying that the police had chosen to take a "softer approach" this year, Dickie was optimistic. "We could have sparked something here. We are pleased at the moment. Hopefully, I don't eat my words."
One officer was hit in the head and knocked down by a bottle, and police say he would have been seriously injured if he had not been wearing a protective helmet. Several people were taken away by ambulance after being hit by bottles. TVNZ reported that an 18-year-old was hospitalised with burns from a couch fire.
Cow TV's Tristan Manas said the night was "insane, like a scene from Escape From New York." The street was "literally covered" with smashed glass bottles, and there were fires in three or four different locations, including one that spread to a power pole, which started shooting "huge white sparks," Manas said. "Once the fire brigade killed one fire, another one would resurface somewhere. Bottles were being thrown from the idiots on roofs to anyone on the ground - my camera operator got hit with one of the projectiles." A Critic reporter was hit in the back by a wine bottle apparently aimed at a TV3 camera operator. At one point, two flats situated across the street from each other initiated a bottle throwing war.
The police have decreed last night's gathering an "unlawful assembly", and filmed the night's events with the intention of intentifying people who would be charged, Insp Dickie said. The policed had earlier promised that no one arrested for Undie 500-related offences will be eligable for dirversion.
Reports suggest that a large portion of the crowd were not students, and many had come in from out of town especially for the Undie 500 weekend. "Most of the peeps we spoke to were from Welly, Aucks, Wanaka, Invers and Chch," Manas said. "Apparently they'd booked their tickets months ago to come down because this is exactly what they are expecting!" However, it should be noted that most of those involved in the Undie 500 rally itself were still on route when the disorder started developing at around 9pm, and reports suggest that most of the Undie crew chose to socialise in town at venues like the Cook.
Critic will be following this story online at critic.co.nz - sign up on Facebook for updates to be sent to your news feed. Full coverage will be in Issue 24, out September 21.
